The invention pertains to a forming device for forming a plane semifinished product into a profiled semifinished fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) product or semifinished fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) product, to a system for manufacturing a profiled semifinished fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) product with such a forming device, and to a method for manufacturing a profiled semifinished FRC product that is moved through a forming device in its longitudinal direction.
The semifinished product used for the device and the method is a fabricated product for fiber-reinforced components such as, e.g., prepregs, blended fabrics, webs prepared with the film stacking method, fabrics or fiber layers that are impregnated or coated with a resin or combinations thereof. The semifinished product being manufactured may consist of a finished FRC component that is assembled with other components or the semifinished product may consist of a preform that [text missing] another processing step, e.g., a forming step or a hardening step.
A pultrusion method is a continuous pull-extrusion method, in which semifinished products in the form of fibers or bonded fabrics are formed into a profiled part. The fibers or the bonded fabrics can be wetted with a liquid plastic upstream or in a pultrusion tool. Subsequently, the fabric webs and the fibers are formed into the desired shape of the profiled part with the aid of a pultrusion tool such as, for example, a mould core or the like. For the hardening process, the formed fibers and fabric webs are heated by means of a heating unit. The at least partially hardened profiled part then passes through a drawgear, by means of which the profiled part is continuously withdrawn. The profiled part can ultimately be sawn into individual parts.
WO 02/06037 describes a pultrusion head for mounting in a pultrusion machine for continuous processing of long fibre composite profiles.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,091,036, 5,098,496 and 3,992,240 apparatuses and methods for pultruding thermoplastic, fibrous structures are described.
From DE 40 17 978 A1 a device and a method for manufacturing profiled parts made of prepregs is known.
DE 4017978 A1 describes a device for manufacturing profiled parts (profiles PR) from thermoplastic semifinished products with a two-part or multipart moulding press, the parts of which form a heating zone (HZ), a pressing zone (PZ) and a cooling zone (KZ), wherein the shape of the gap formed by the parts of the moulding press continuously changes from the initial profile (rectangular cross section) to the desired profile (PR).
DE 19754381 A1 discloses a method for manufacturing a profiled part, particularly a pultrusion method, in which a plurality of fibers and/or one or more fabric webs is/are continuously wetted with a liquid plastic and moulded in accordance with the profiled part, wherein the fibers and/or the fabric webs and/or the liquid plastic is/are subjected to a vibration in order to dissolve bubbles or defects in the fibers and/or the fabric webs and/or the intermediate spaces. The fabric webs are unwound from rolls or the like and fed to a connecting device. The fibers are also fed to this connecting device by means of other guiding devices. The fibers and the fabric webs are brought together and interlinked with the aid of the connecting device. The connected fibers and fabric webs are fed to a tool arranged downstream of the connecting device. This tool may consist, for example, of a mould core or the like. The fibers are moulded together with the fabric webs with the aid of the tool. The fibers and the fabric webs are, in particular, folded. The tool is realized in such a way that the desired shape of the profiled part is achieved after the moulding of the fibers and fabric webs.
WO 2007/107007 discloses a pultrusion device with three thermal zones that are thermally insulated from one another, wherein a pre-determined temperature profile is realized with said thermal zones in order to mould and subsequently harden a semifinished product being guided through the pultrusion device.
DE 40 17 978 A1 describes a device and a method for manufacturing profiled parts, in which a moulding press with a heating zone, a pressing zone and a cooling zone is utilized, wherein the shape of the gap formed by the parts of the moulding press continuously changes from the initial profile to the desired profile.